Money, not talent, behind Dan Lloyd’s demise as Sam Tordoff bids to extend lead at Snetterton

Toby Bilton

Huddersfield’s talented racing-driver Dan Lloyd is set to miss the rest of the British Touring Car Championship season after a high-profile sponsor backed out at the eleventh hour.

Lloyd, 24 has impressed since joining the grid with Honda’s Eurotech Racing in May, twice securing second-spot on the 30 man grid while also earning the ‘rookie of the weekend’ award in his first event at Thruxton.

He had kept that pace while practising at Snetterton ahead of this weekend’s event, but in a sport that relies so heavily on sponsorship, his season has been ended prematurely.

He said: “After the results we’ve had it’s a bitter pill to swallow. Confidence was really high looking ahead to Snetterton.

“Everyone has worked really hard on the track and it’s such a shame we can’t carry that on.

“I‘m really grateful for the opportunity and to the lads for giving me a car capable of qualifying in the top two.”

Lloyd thanked his long-term sponsors for their help and continued support.

Meanwhile, fellow Yorkshireman Sam Tordoff will be aiming to increase his lead at the summit in the driver standings. The JCT600 driver, from Bradford, is 12 points clear of team-mate Rob Collard at the midway stage of the season.